Dear Editor:
My daughter Cara and I recently visited the beautiful city of Downey. I brought an exhibition of paintings over from Ireland, which were exhibited at Stay Gallery. This cultural event was a result of the recent twinning of Roscommon County, Ireland, and the city of Downey.

We had a very memorable and positive experience. Valentin Flores, Gabriel Enamorado and the team at Stay Gallery showed us the utmost hospitality. The professionalism in hanging and exhibiting my work was comparable to any city in Europe. I have exhibited my work in many cities in Europe including Scotland, Germany and Poland, so I speak from experience.

Stay Gallery is a relatively new gallery and I hope the local people, the politicians and the people in power will continue to support it. It is an innovative and vibrant cultural space and the people who work there are full of vitality and energy. It is important to educate children about the arts and to do this the children need a place in their own city where they can visit exhibitions and get to know living artists. It will also encourage young artists to stay and add to the cultural diversity of the city.

I have included this quote by Lyndon Johnson which expresses the importance of the arts in a country: “Art is a nation’s most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.”